Hi, Just a tip. If you’re going to replace your boiler. If you buy Gas, you have to pay an annual inspection charge. If you use oil / diesel you don’t. When I bought my boiler I wondered why all of the businesses kep pushing gas so hard - now I know.

I’m not technical or a plumber etc, just a suffering ex-pat customer of these businesses !

Even if you use natural gas, butane, propane, oil or diesel boilers, water heaters or central heating, it’s still a good recommendation to have it checked every year.

My tip here is to find a reliable local installer for whichever system you use, to perform a yearly check.

We recently had our central heating caldera inspected and serviced and it cost about €80. This included flushing and cleaning the system, along with replacement parts (due to calcification, we run off well water). Can’t grumble at all at that. The previous owners hadn’t bothered servicing the system in the five years since installation, so this was likely the heaviest service cost. Next service is due, which shouldn’t cost more than €30 to €40.

As an incidental though, I am aware that some of the bottled gas companies suggest you “have to” pay an annual inspection charge. This actually isn’t the case and is entirely optional. Some of the chaps that come to inspect installations, do tend to make it sound like it isn’t optional. They’re just trying to commit people to their service. You’re entitled to use whoever you want to perform such inspections or checks.

I once helped a client organise connection of a new caldera, to run of bottled gas. The bottled gas supplier insisted that the installation wasn’t correct and one of their service engineers would correct it, whilst also insisting the client signed up to their service contract scheme. The heating engineer who had installed the system actually happened to be there. He gladly pointed out the failings in the gas bottle company inspectors “inspection”, at which point the gas bottle gas bottle guy left rather sheepishly. The installation actually exceeds regulations and the original installer has called out once each of the last two years, charging no more than €10 for his time.

I can not understand the comment that gas needs to be serviced and oil does not, so go for oil. Both fuels are fossil fuels so generate products of combustion which if not checked will make soot and then block the flue and cause the products to come back into the room. Incomplete combustion causes carbon monoxide which DOES KILL, so is your life not worth 80 euro per year.

Have any heating appliance serviced and checked every year to ensure you enjoy a long time in Spain.

But somethings are on the capital cost, but the maintenance cost is something that many people do not even give consideration too. It is just the same as buying a car, you see something you like the look of, it is within your price range so you buy it. How many look to see what the insurance will be, or the service will cost, but when it comes to the time for the car to be serviced, we go and pay 300 or even 400 euro for the service, but then we complain about paying just 80 euro for a service of the gas boiler.

The Gas boiler an oil boiler or wood burning stove are all potential killers if not looked after by professional well trained and qualified engineers, not Bill down the road who once knew someone who had cleaned his boiler for him many years ago and had no problem. Would you let your wife service your lovely new pride and joy car you had just paid 30000 euro for, no, I guess the answer would be as she knows nothing about cars.

I find that if it is a problem with your car people will take more notice of the mechanic for his car than he will from the heating engineer about his boiler. I also find that people will change their car every 3 or so years, but will not change their boiler every 10 years.

The moral of this is:

ALL boilers NEED a service every year or you may not be driving your car if the boiler goes wrong.

Hi Damatt/anyone who knows… Re wood burning stoves/fires… Can you advise what needs to be serviced every now and again (or year if I read correct). We have the flu cleaned by a proper sweep man, but that is about it (was going to use one of those ‘light it up and throw it in’ self cleaning products this winter too).

Seriously thinking a small solar panel attached boiler would be good for our hot water needs (which is actually very minimal). What kind of boiler is it, and how easy it is to find here etc. (The solar panel man at our local outlet told me you need one similar to a UK type elec one - where the element inside has the water running through - not like the standard elec ones here that are basically a big kettle/the element is only heated by elec/is solid).
Any tips on where to go for GOOD/RIGHT ADVICE and good price
(We are located near Fuengirola).

A wood burner needs to have the chimney swept at LEAST once per year. The actual number of times will depend on the wood you burn. Ideally, the wood should be dry and left to stand for about 12 to 18 months, though in UK that would be more like 2 years. If you burn wood that have not dried, then you could find that you need to sweep more than once per year.

As far as a service of the appliance is concerned, then again, that will depend on the appliance, but the manufactures instructions will advise you just what needs to be done. It normally involves completely stripping down the appliance, checking all the seals, ensure that there is free movement on the de-ashing mechanism, if there is a thermostat, then that is correctly set and the sealing pad is not damaged or missing, the air intakes are clear, there are no cracks in the base of the appliance below the fire bed as this will cause the appliance to draw even if the door is closed and the thermostat is closed down so you will not be able to control the burning.

As I said, it will depend on the appliance, but I could go on. Hope this helps.

Thanks ^
We have the most basic old appliance there is in a very rustic finca. We put up with a bit of smoke blowing back, (as there are literally no seals on the door and we have said door open as much as possible to let the heat in). Our installation is a real ‘belt and braces job’, altho I wished we had had the money at the time to put a full length metal flu and twirly thing on at the time of installation as it can get a bit smokey in bedroom too (despite my best efforts to plug all the holes in the ceiling The builder thinks there must be a crack in the chimney after all.
Oh well… the window open a tad and the Luxury of a real fire is better than the first two winters we spent on expensive oil rads!

PS- thanks for the tip on dry wood. We have been collecting kindling all summer and likewise, we have a proper, covered wood store (think it used to be the donkey shed
Our wood supplier also keeps it all dry and it burns a treat (Eu200 for a lorry load of 2,000 kg) Olive wood (I know there is the hard wood too, but that is more expensive, plus we only use about 6 logs a night at coldest point.

From what you have said, my only advice is do not use the stove. Think logically, when a fire burns it gives off smoke and carbon monoxide, the reason smoke rises is the difference between internal and external pressure, plus the heat from the fire. The reason for a chimney is to cause draw to clear away all the bad bits that burning any fossil fuel creates. The smoke getting into the bedroom is a sign that the chimney is broken and not drawing correctly. That could be VERY serious and detrimental to your health, in fact is the worst conditions - TERMINAL. I assume you have heard of carbon monoxide poisoning, well that is the start of it, smoke coming back into the room, poor appliance maintenance smoke into bedrooms.

my strongest advice DO NOT USE IT until you get it put right. If you can not afford to have it put right, find some safe way of keeping warm.

Sorry to be so alarmist, but I have seen the results of defective fossil burning fuel appliances and flues and it is not nice.

Do you feel tired, headaches sickly or feel like you have flu, if any of these, then you are being affected by the fumes from the stove.

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